Doll House
by pinksugarrush
Summary: He thought their first meeting was coincidental but then he started seeing him all over town. Then he kidnapped him to his house and next thing Pony knew, he was acting out this sick man's belief. He wanted to be home, he wanted the gang, but most of all he wanted to be Ponyboy Curtis, not this sick man's doll.
1. Chapter 1 Mingling Crossroads

Disclaimer- I do not own The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does. Enjoy!

Chapter 1._ Mingling Crossroads _

Ponyboy could feel the water seep into his tattered shoes.

It was disgusting. Especially with each step, he could feel the muddy water reabsorb into his socks only to be squished right out again. He tried to kick some of the water out of his shoes, but after several failed attempt, he accepted his wet, messy fate.

Of all the days that Two-Bit forgets to pick him up, it had to be the day that it rains. Pony had borrowed the school's phone and tried to get hold of Two-Bit. He called his own house first because Two-Bit was there more often there than his own house. When that didn't work, he called Two-Bit's house. Both calls ended up with the same lousy outcome. No Two-Bit.

He considered calling Darry but Darry was in the next town over which left him to consider Soda. But Soda was working and Steve was mostly like by his side. If he remembered correctly, Steve wasn't working today, just hanging out with Soda at the DX because he had nothing better to do. And, knowing Soda, he would probably beg Steve to pick him up. And Pony already knew that Steve wouldn't be happy picking up his best friend's annoying kid brother.

So, that left him with this miserable fate.

He was too busy trying to calm his chattering teeth that he didn't notice a car was behind him until the owner honked his horn.

"Two-Bit you were supposed to-" The words died in his throat as a brown Chevy impala pulled up instead. Pony knew that Two-Bit was good at stealing, but not good enough to steal an impala without winding up in the cooler within minutes.

Pony swallowed as the tinted window rolled down.

In all honesty, he was expecting to notice the person behind the steering wheel. Possibly an overbearing soc that knocked his books out of his hands in the hallway, but he didn't recognize the man that stared back at him.

"Hey, kid." The man leaned over the window. His checkered shirt becoming slightly damp as he rolled the window all the way down. "Want a ride?"

Pony stepped back, licking his dry lips. "Who are you?"

"Charles Zeller." He gave Pony a friendly smile. "I got a son your age. I would hate my boy to be walking around in the rain like you. So, what do you say, son? Want me to drive you home?"

"Thanks, but no." When Charles frowned, Pony felt his heart leap. He tightened his hold on the backpack straps that he didn't even know that he was gripping in the first place. Maybe hearing Steve complain about his annoyingness was better than getting hassled by a stranger, after all.

Darry warned him many times to never ever get in a car with a stranger. Especially a stranger of different class in Tulsa. It was hardly ever good news. You always ended up ruffed up one way or another. Or six feet under….or in a deep end drainage. Or, you know, both.

"Oh, I get it." Charles waved his hand in the air, before allowing it to come down and slap his thigh loudly. "Stranger danger, right?"

Pony remained silent. He just wanted to go home. Standing out here with the rain pelting down on him was not something he enjoyed.

"Alright then." Charles twisted the key in the engine again and his headlights started blinking again. "Well, maybe next time. See ya, kid."

Charles's car bypassed him and effectively splattering some water on his jeans. Whether that was purposeful or not, Pony didn't know. Either way, it sucked.

Pony stood there and watched him leave. He didn't know if he just avoided a kidnapping or if he just lost his chance of getting home in a more proper fashion. In any case, the car was gone and it was too late for second suggestions.

His grips loosened on his straps, as he turned a corner. Everything was quiet aside from his sloshing shoes and pounding rain until he heard the soft hum of a truck.

_He didn't come back did he?_ His paste hastened as the hum of the car became louder. He read enough books to know when people were purposely leading you to believe that you were safe and next thing you know they clobber you over the head and wind up in a infested warehouse with a bunch of decomposing, smelly corpses. He didn't dare look back. He couldn't.

"Kid!"

And that was when he broke out into a run. He didn't care if he was acting foolishly or paranoid. He didn't want to get kidnapped. He just wanted to go home. He could hear the car gain on him. It was eating the ground quick.

"Kid, stop!"

He ignored it and pushed forth even harder.

"Pony! Ponyboy, stop!"

The use of his names shocked him to the point that his legs went weak. Next things he knew, he was collapsing under his own weight and was going down hard. The gravel bit into his skin. Somebody was cursing when he went down. Not to later, he heard the sound of a car door slamming.

"Shit. Pony, you okay?"

Pony tried to get up, to run, to hide. Because if the man knew his name, then that was a dangerous sign. But, before he could, two strong hands intercepted him and held him down.

"Don't touch me!" Pony screamed as he tried to push the invading hands away.

"Pony, calm down! It's me, Two-Bit! Two-Bit!" The calloused hands went from restraining his palms to his shoulders instead. Before he could even comprehend those words, Two-Bit was shaking him so hard that his head was spinning.

For the first time, Pony stared at his chaser fully. And true to his words, it really was Two-Bit. A very wet and worried Two-Bit, but it was Two-Bit. He couldn't believe that he didn't even recognize his own gang's voice.

"Two-Bit?" Pony whispered with a barely audible voice. Two-Bit had to lean in to hear him.

"Glory, Pone. Are you that mad at me?" Two-Bit gave him a weak grin before picking up his hands to access the damage he done during his fall.

He was mad. But after that little freight, he didn't have the energy to be mad anymore.

"I'm real sorry, Pone. Kathy was holdin' me up. She wouldn't let me go."

Two-Bit heaved Pony up and guided him to the car. It was only when he was strapped in the car that he realized how cold he was. Two-Bit leaned toward the back of his seat before producing a ragged shirt.

"Here, dry yourself." Instead of tossing the ragged thing like he would usually do, Two-Bit held it out for him and waited for him to take it.

Pony wrapped it around his small frame. He didn't even bother drying his body. He just wanted to be warm.

"I'm really sorry, Pony."

"I ain't mad." Pony whispered as he brought the shirt up higher. Two-Bit noticed the action, his hand automatically going to the heater, but Pony knew it wasn't going to help. An old car like this could only get so warm before failing.

Two-Bit grinned at this. "Really? Cause you sure ran when I was callin' you."

"I thought you were somebody else." Pony admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed. Now that he was in Two-Bit's old dingy car, wrapped around a shirt that smelled like alcohol, and his buddy sitting right next to him, he realized how childish this whole ordeal was. God, was he getting paranoid or what?

Two-Bit picked up on Pony's implied words immediately. "Somebody messin' with you, kid? That's why you was running? Those stupid socs again?"

"No," Pony answered awkwardly. He fisted the shirt around him tighter. It smelt of Two-Bit and the littler greaser found that that was oddly comforting.

Two-Bit pulled up to the house before turning to Pony fully.

"Then who?"

"It's nothing, Two-Bit."

"Pony-" Before Two-Bit could say anything else, Pony was already unstrapping himself and scampering into the little house.

He kicked off his shoes and made a mental checklist to clean up the floor before Darry and Soda got home. Darry may come home tired every night, but he was never tired enough to not give Pony a good earful for tracking little water puddles everywhere. Pony grabbed a random towel that was lying on the couch before draping it around himself and making his way toward the kitchen sink.

"Darry and Soda are going to skin me if you don't tell me what happened." Two-Bit hollered as he came in right behind Pony. Unlike Pony, he didn't seem to notice the mess that he was leaving.

"Two-Bit, can you help me?" Pony ignored Two-Bit's obvious guilt trips and held up his hands instead.

"You skinned it real bad." The older greaser noted before taking Pony's hands in his. Pony hissed as a piece of glass was pried out of his palm. "Must have landed on a broken beer bottle."

Pony hissed when Two-Bit pulled another piece of glass out. Two-Bit tugged his hand closer to the sink, allowing the blood to drip freely into the white sink. Well, as white as it will ever be. This sink had met too many bloodbaths in its little lifespan that it could never be considered white anymore. Now it wore a more grimy yellow hue with a tinge of orange. Darry tried hard to get it back to its pristine color, but his efforts always fell flat.

"He's goin' to kill me for this, too." Two-Bit gestured toward Pony's palm. Two-Bit examined Pony's hand closer, and seeing no more glass, placed it over the sink again. "Golly, I sure don't want Superman busting my balls anytime soon."

"It ain't your fault. I fell on my own." Pony justified.

"Well, Superman is gonna skin me anyway." Two-Bit flipped open a cabinet and reached in to grab the first aid kit.

"We don't gotta tell him nothin'." Pony offered. He really didn't want his friend feeling guilty. Hell, he was still feeling guilty for making Two-Bit feel guilty when he told the greaser to lie about his health before the rumble. Soda told him that the older greaser got in real trouble with Darry because of that. "We can tell him that I fell during gym. We don't gotta say anything about you pickin me up late none. Savvy?"

Two-Bit looked up from rummaging through the kit. His eyebrows quirked up but his mouth was already spreading into that notorious grin. The jokester walked up to him and casually wrapped his hand around his neck.

"Yeah, I savvy real good." Two-Bit grinned harder before tousling his hair. "I always told Steve that you are a real bud. Thanks, Pony."

Pony frowned. "What about Steve?"

Two-Bit waved Pony's question off and went back to the kit. "Pone, where's the disinfectant? It's not in here."

Pony didn't move from his spot next to the sink. He glanced in his friend's general direction. "I don't know. I guess we used it all on Dally when he busted his knuckles against Tim."

"Should I go get some?" Pony knew that meant that was Two-Bit asking to swipe some and he'd rather not get Two-Bit in trouble.

"I don't need it. I can just run it over water or something."

"Darry will really skin me if I don't clean your wound properly." Two-Bit thought a moment before hurrying outside and telling Pony that he needed to get something from his car. A few minutes later, Two-Bit came back with a brown bag. He took ahold of Pony's hand again before producing a bottle from the bag. He uncapped the bottle with his teeth.

"Two-Bit, you aren't -"

He poured it on his wound.

Pony yelped and tried to yank his hand back, but Two-Bit held fast.

"Two-Bit that stings!"

"I know it does, kid. Just hold still."

"You're not suppose to pour beer on wounds! There's yeast in there." He tugged again, but Two-Bit did not relent his request. The stinging persisted.

"It ain't beer."

"Then what is it?"

"Vodka."

"Then why is it in a beer bottle?"

"You know that nasty store owner down the street?" Two-Bit asked as he drizzled more vodka on Pony's other hand. "Yeah, well he started noticing that stuff just disappeared every time I was there. So, I drank all his beer when he wasn't paying attention and filled the empty beer bottles up with Vodka. Paid for the stupid beer, but lifted his Vodka." Two-Bit chuckled to himself, obviously proud of his lifting skills.

"Why didn't you just buy the vodka?"

"Kid, Vodka is way more expensive than beer."

Pony's hands were starting to burn. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"Sure it is, Pone. I ain't no brain like you, but this baby," Two-Bit gestured toward the beer bottle filled with vodka. "Is 45% alcohol. It's probably a better disinfectant than the one Darry always uses."

"Stings a lot more, too." Pony grumbled. His hands were starting to turn red. On the bright side, they weren't bleeding anymore.

When Two-Bit finished, he wrapped Pony's hand in such a fashion that it looked like a blind person wrapped it. Two-Bit laughed at Pony's obvious displeasure.

"Darry can always rewrap it latter."

"Yeah, I guess."

It got quiet, and Pony was about to leave to get dressed, but before he could, Two-Bit spoke up.

"Are you going to tell me what happened earlier?" Pony stiffened at the question. He thought that the older greaser had forgotten the whole thing. He turned to Two-Bit and thought that he could possibly evade the question somehow, but Two-Bit face was all serious. He really hated when Two-Bit got serious with him. He preferred the oblivious, prankster version of him a whole lot better.

"I already told you it was nothin."

"Yeah, what got you all spooked and runnin from me was nothin'?"

"I just-" Two-Bit gave him a look and he quickly relented, " ...I thought somebody was following me."

"A soc from school again?"

"No." Pony gave Two-Bit a funny look and started to fidget with his bandaged hands. "He was an older guy."

Two-Bit quirked his eyebrows up at that. "How old? What did he want?"

"Like in his thirties." Pony was really starting to wish that he didn't have such a loose tongue because then he wouldn't have accidentally slipped in front of Two-Bit earlier. "He uh...wanted to know if he could drive me home."

"Drive you home? What the? Pony, don't ever get in a stranger's car." Was it him or did Darry's soul suddenly take over Two-Bit's?

"I know that. Darry tells me all the time."

"Then what?"

"I told him no and he just left."

"I got to tell Darry." Two-Bit stated before standing up and walking toward the phone.

"Why?" Pony quickly followed Two-Bit. "It wasn't anything, Two-Bit, I swear! I was just over reacting."

"Why? Pony, I got to tell Darry that his kid-brother apparently got a freakin' pedophile on his ass."

"Pedo-what?"

"Pedophile!" Two-Bit repeated loudly as he tried to remember Darry's work number. After all, this wasn't his forte; cracking jokes and getting drunk was his ground but not this.

"What's that?"

Two-Bit stopped short at the question and turned fully to Pony who was blinking up at him. The kid was actually earnestly confused. Jeez, no wonder Darry and Soda worried about Pony so much; he was just too damn innocent for his own good.

"It's a disgusting man." Two-Bit was not about to be the one that was going to ruin the kid's innocence. He'll leave that to Dallas or Steve. Or both.

"Oh. I don't think he was a pedo-pedo..." Pony knitted his eyebrows together as he tried to recall the word. When Two-Bit didn't assist him by repeating the word, Pony settled on, "That word."

"Well, what do you think he was then, Pony? You obviously thought he was no good either because you totally freaked when you thought I was him." Pony frowned, Two-Bit had a point there. Who knew that Two-Bit was so good at making such good remarks.

"I was just overreacting. Come on Two-Bit, be a buddy."

Two-Bit frowned. Why did that line sound so familiar?

"Maybe he just felt sorry for me. I mean, it was raining." Then Pony remembered something that the man said that might help mollify the man's case. "He said that he has a son my age and he wouldn't like his son walking around in the rain, too. I guess I just remind him of his son."

Before Two-Bit could come up with anything to say to that, Pony spoke up again.

"If Dad was still alive," Two-Bit inwardly grimaced when he noted Pony's eyes watering slightly. "He would probably offer other kids rides home if he saw them walking home in the rain." Pony bit his lip. "And I don't think Dad would be a pedo-that word for offering."

"Aw, Pony, don't cry." He moved over to the little greaser and patted his back.

"I ain't crying!" True, he wasn't, but he was getting there. Two-Bit couldn't help but smile slightly at the childish front.

"Okay, Pone, you ain't cryin. You ain't cryin." Two-Bit held up his hands in defense.

Pony scrubbed at his eyes and exhaled loudly. "I'm just saying that it wasn't a big deal. Do you really have to tell Darry? It's not like he forced me to get in his car or anything." In a quieter voice, Pony said, "He just offered."

Two-Bit sighed. "Okay, Pone. But if that man ever bothers you again, I'm tellin' Darry and Soda. And if he does, don't you ever get in his car. You hear?"

Pony nodded. "He ain't going to bother me none. I think he was a good guy."

"Sure, if you say so Pony."

Before Pony could retort, he sneezed loudly.

Two-Bit laughed. "Golly, kid. I totally forgot that you're soaking wet. Should probably shower before you get sick."

"I think it's too late for that." Pony stated as he sneezed again.

Two-Bit watched Pony retreat to the shower.

Golly, sometimes that kid just made him question his actions.

Unconsciously, his grip tightened around the neck of his beer bottle.

Hopefully, what Pony said was true.

That it was just a casual and coincidental offering.

Two-Bit took a swig of his beer encased vodka and stared out the window, the rain pelting hard against the window frame. The vodka went down fast, slightly giving his throat a raw edge.

But, most importantly, that he was a good man.

* * *

A/N: I know that I'm supposed to be working on my other Outsiders fic but I totally got writer's block on that one. And this idea popped in my head so I decided to give it a shot. Hopefully, you guys don't think this one is too bad.

So, what do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Made you want to vomit?

Sorry if Two-Bit is a bit OOC in here.

Anyway, please R&R. Reviews inspire me and make me happy. No flames please.

6/15/2014


	2. Chapter 2 In All Honesty

Disclaimer- I do not own The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does. Enjoy!

**I would like to dedicate this chapter to_ Kylelover101_ and_ Jayla728_ for supporting me and encouraging me to keep this story going. I love you guys! Please check out their works! They're both very amazing authors!  
**

I'm still kind of in my Writer's block so beware of crappy or not very sastifying and/ or not very efficient work ahead.

* * *

Chapter 2. _In All Honesty_

"My hand smells funny." Pony informed as he ambled over to Two-Bit who was watching reruns of Mickey.

Two-Bit inclined his head over to stare at the newly showered Ponyboy. Even from his distance he could smell it. The liquor must have soaked into the bandages. "Pony, it's just the vodka."

Pony grimaced as he brought his hand back up to his face before quickly drawing it back again. "Darry is probably going to think that I got drunk."

"Kid, you're already drunk."

Pony looked startled by the sudden indulgence. "What? I am?"

"Yeah, you're swaying all over the place." Two-Bit grinned when Pony looked down at his feet before stumbling into the couch and gripping the arm of it. His eyes were wide in bewilderment.

"I am? What? How? But I don't feel drunk."

"Yeah, that's what all the drunkies say." Two-Bit winked at him. "I oughta know."

Pony held his hands out in front of him and counted them. He wasn't seeing double. He then proceeded to do the sobriety test by touching his nose. He touched it just fine. He didn't poke his eye in the process, so that must have been a good sign. Two-Bit watched the whole thing from the floor, amused. "I'm drunk?"

"Keep smelling your hand and you will be."

"I can get drunk off the smell?"

"Sure can!" Two-Bit laughed and it was only then that Pony realized that Two-Bit was just messing with him and he wasn't really drunk.

Pony flushed.

He really hated it when the gang messed with him like that. They always told him stories and he always believed them. And when he figured out that they were just filling his head with fallacies, they would tease him for being so gullible. He really hated that. Being gullible, that is. It made him seem young and naive. Soda thought it was cute. He didn't.

When he was younger, Soda told him that the oil spills were rainbows that fell out of the sky when it rained. He believed him wholeheartedly for a long time. His mother finally set him straight when she saw him touching the oil with his hands and tossing it in the sky to get the 'rainbow glued in the sky again'.

Pony huffed before standing up and saying something along the lines of getting dinner ready.

Two-Bit snickered as he watched Pony make a hasty beeline to the kitchen. Within moments, he could hear the sound of pots clanking loudly to display Pony's flustered state.

The kid was just green like that.

Believing almost everything that he was told.

The whole gang loved it.

He was the innocent one.

Golden, really.

There was a loud boom from outside as the thunder continued to play. The storm sure was taking its time to finish its brutality today.

He could smell the slight scent of the vodka that was left by Ponyboy or maybe it was oozing out of his own mouth. He was suddenly reminded of why Ponyboy even smelled like that in the first place. Two-Bit uncharacteristically started to frown. After the event that happened earlier today, Two-Bit, in all honesty, wasn't sure if it was a really good thing that Pony seemed so gullible.

There was a sudden tremor of the house when another loud session of thunder drummed against the house's weak, laden frame. Two-Bit glanced at the t.v. and watched as it flickered once before dying into total blackness.

Yeah, it didn't seem so good anymore.

* * *

"I'm home!" Soda hollered from the entrance of the door. He took off his DX hat and shook it from water. Nobody greeted him back. "Guys? Pony?"

"Stupid rain," Steve grumbled from behind Soda, almost nicking Soda's back with the door when he shoved it roughly open. "Hurry up, Soda."

When his best friend did not move, Steve pushed Soda aside and immediately went to the bathroom, tugging off his shirt the whole way.

"Pony?" Soda called as he went into the evidently aromatic kitchen. He opened the lids of one of the pots and found mashed up potatoes; the other pot must have some type of chicken then.

Where was his baby brother, though?

He traveled to the living room where he heard noise. Two-Bit turned around when he heard footsteps.

"Hey, Soda! When did ya get home?"

"Just now." Soda inclined his toward the TV as he leaned against the recliner."What you watching?"

"Mickey."

"That's white noise."

"It'll be Mickey when the storm is over," Two-Bit grinned as he turned back to the black and white screen, his eyes glued to the screen intently.

"Where's Pony?" Before Two-Bit could answer him, Soda looked down and saw the lump on the couch that was hidden under the thick blanket. Soda waltzed over to the couch happily and sat at the base of it before tugging the blankets down.

Soda started to run his hands through his brother's hair, but stopped and frowned slightly when his head felt slightly warm. Soda stared at the sudden moistness on his hands, shocked, before turning to Two-Bit who was sneaking peeks at Soda since he got here.

"He sick?"

"Don't know." Two-Bit looked somewhat tense. "He wasn't lookin' too hot earlier, though."

Soda was about to ask why, but there was a groan from the couch that interrupted him from interrogating the older greaser further. Ponyboy stirred slightly before blinking up at his older brother.

"Soda?" Ponyboy shifted to his left slightly before propping himself up with an elbow but didn't sit all the way up since Soda was practically towering over him.

"Yeah, baby." Soda pushed back another strand of Pony's hair distractedly. "You're not lookin' too hot."

"I'm fine." Pony answered quickly as he pulled the blankets up higher to keep his badly bandaged hand hidden. Pony's eyes flickered to Two-Bit and Soda knew they were having a silent conversation with one another.

"No you ain't. How did you get sick? You were fine this morning." Soda started to frown as he leaned in some more. "Was somebody messing with you today, Pone?"

"No!" Pony snapped. "Nobody was messing with me, Soda! Why do you always think that somebody's messin' with me?"

Soda looked startled by his little brother's outburst but decided to take the more calm approach to it rather than yelling at him for just snapping at him.

"Okay, Kiddo. But I still don't understand why you're suddenly sick."

Pony played with the end of the blanket for a moment before looking back up at him. "It was raining. I got wet when I walked to Two-Bit's car."

"Did you wait long or something?" Soda continued to prod. From the corner of Pony's eyes, he saw Two-Bit wincing from Soda's spot-on words.

"No." He pressed himself further into the couch, wishing that this interrogation session would just end. His head was hurting. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

"I didn't think he was going to get sick, Soda. Honest." Two-Bit spoke softly from the floor.

"Damn, kid." Steve smirked as he strolled into the living room with a new shirt on that looked distinctly like Soda's. "Who knew you could get sick just from a little rain. You sure as hell wouldn't survive in a war."

If he had the energy, he would glare at Steve.

"Not now, Steve." Soda replied somewhat sharply. Steve immediately smartened up and shut his trap. After all, Soda was a pretty relaxed guy until his brother's safety was involved. Soda turned back to Pony, about to say something until he paused mid word and sniffed. "Pony, why do you smell like that?"

Steve took a step closer, and didn't even pretend to hide the grin that spread over his face as he recognized the scent that invaded his nose.

"Like what?" Unconsciously, Pony dug his hand deeper into his side.

"Like alcohol! Don't tell me you were sleeping off a hangover, Ponyboy!" Soda all but yelled. Seeing the previous movement, Soda tore the blanket off his brother's frame harshly, all convinced that he would see the notorious brown beer bottle but instead he found a gauzed ridden hand instead.

Within seconds, Soda's mind switched from livid to concern. Hesitantly, Soda reached for Pony's hand and held it up.

"What's this? What happened to your hand, Pony?"

Pony blushed, and could distinctly feel heat creep up his face. "I fell."

"You fell?" Soda repeated dumbly. He knew his brother was somewhat clumsy, but to just fall without some kind of assistance just seemed a bit odd. He was quite sure that his kid-brother was old enough to master the art of walking properly by now. "Like somebody pushed you?"

"No, I just fell." Pony tried to pull his hand away from Soda's grasp, but Soda didn't let up. "I was walking to Two-Bit's car, and, I don't know, I just fell."

"Oh." Well, it seemed that his brother didn't know how to walk properly, after all. "And your hand smells like alcohol, because?"

"You guys ran out of disinfectant, so I poured Vodka on it." Two-Bit interjected, happily.

Soda whirled at him, totally nonplussed, and even a tad angry. "You poured Vodka on him?"

"I had to clean it."

Soda stared at the peaking red skin underneath the gauze, and wasn't sure if the Vodka was the right way to go. He wasn't a medical expert, and, at that moment, it frustrated him.

"Relax, Soda," It was Steve. "It's not going to kill the kid or anything." Steve stared at Pony's hand, something flickering in his usually stoic eyes. "It's just a little red. He's fine."

Soda, just nodded dejectedly as he ran his hands along the rough, edge bandages.

"Pone," Pony turned to his brother. "You really just fell? Nobody pushed you or anything?"

Pony nodded, not trusting his voice. He was quite sure that the morning events were nothing major. He didn't need Soda worrying about him for nothing. Besides, he was sure that Soda was already worried enough now that he realized that he was sick. He didn't need to add anything on top of that.

"You know," Soda ventured at last as he looked toward Pony. "You can always tell me when something is wrong. You know that right?"

Again, Pony nodded, suddenly feeling embarrassed by his brother's affectionate actions and in front of Two-Bit and Steve, no less! Usually Soda would spare him the embarrassment by displaying such soft spoken words in the comfort of their bedroom and, if he was feeling sufficiently nice, it would be in the dead of the night-not out on the couch in front of Two-Bit who would blab and Steve - the guy who hated his very internal guts.

"I know." Pony whispered.

Soda looked at him expectantly, but he said no more. Pony peeked over Soda's shoulder and caught Two-Bit's eyes. Personally, it seemed like Two-Bit was the one closer to confessing to the whole morning events rather than himself.

"I just fell, Soda." And just for the heck of reassurance, Pony added sleepily, "Honest."

Because, in truth, he really did just fall.

The reassurance must have worked, because Soda wasn't giving him that look anymore. The determined look where he was going to pry into him until he knew every little thing that was being hidden from him.

Pony felt hands grabbing his shoulder and guiding him back down on the couch and a blanket being tucked over him. Pony didn't even try to fight it. He didn't know when he closed his eyes, or when Soda left his side momentarily, but he did remember Soda pressing two pills into his palm and then a glass of water being pressed into his lips.

He thought he might have heard Steve snort in his hazy, fevered state, but it wasn't as derisive as it usually was.

He thought he might have heard Soda telling him to sleep and kiss his sweaty brow.

He thought he might have heard the loud, struggling engine of Darry's old truck pull up in the driveway and the feel of his broad, calloused hands brushing his forehead.

He thought he heard Two-Bit whispering in his ear about whether or not keeping this a secret from his brother was all a good thing.

He thought, when all had gone quiet long ago, that he heard the clean hum of an impala.

He thought he heard the sound of their door being squeaked open cautiously.

He thought he saw somebody that wasn't suppose to be there, standing over him and staring at him intently.

He thought he felt somebody caress his cheek.

He thought he saw Charles Zeller in his home.

But, then again, that was it.

Just his thoughts.

And, in all honesty, he really wasn't sure of any of it.

* * *

Pony was ridden in bed for one whole miserable week before he was allowed to leave the house.

That meant one week of being fussed over and one week of assuring Darry and Soda that, yes, he really was all right, and that, no, he was not going to fall over dead the minute they left him to his own devices.

"Come on, kid." Two-Bit tossed him his jacket as the older greaser tugged his own jacket on and took a quick swig from his beer.

Since Pony had only recently recovered from his ailment, he was not allowed to go outside unless he was being escorted by one of the gang. Two-Bit was his babysitter today, and usually Pony didn't mind that, because Two-Bit usually went out with him. Steve, on the other hand, usually grunted at him and told him to just shut up, stay inside, and watch tv so that no trouble can somehow be pressed onto him by his brothers.

At first, he thought it was just going to be a casual stroll to the DX, but Two-Bit had accidentally let it slip that there was a hot blonde always at the Dingo around this hour and he wanted to try his luck with her. Apparently, he and Kathy's relationship was strained lately. Two-Bit had also made a bet with Steve that he could get the blonde's number, too.

"The broad ain't gonna wait, kid." Two-Bit rushed when he saw that Pony had still not slipped on his jacket.

Pony quickly tugged on his jacket and slipped out the door with Two-Bit.

"You ain't sick again, are you?" Two-Bit asked when Pony was noticeably more quiet. Pony tried to pull away from Two-Bit's advancing hand, but the older greaser was faster. "You don't seem hot."

"I'm fine, Two-Bit." Pony mumbled. He didn't really want to watch Two-Bit flirt a girl up in front of him, and he was trying to think what he could do to entertain himself.

Two-Bit never brought up the incident, and Pony wondered briefly if Two-Bit had forgotten about it or if he just opted not to bring it up. Pony hoped that it was the former.

Pony stopped Two-Bit at the front of the Dingo, "Two-Bit do you have any cancer sticks on you?"

Two-Bit produced a full carton but held it out of Pony's reach. "Don't smoke all of it, Pony. Darry would skin me if he gets wind of me lettin' you smoke the whole damn thing when you just got over being sick."

"Yeah, yeah." Pony reached for it and started to undo the taping on it.

"You not goin' inside?"

"No, I'm going to stay out here."

"Don't wander off too far, Pony." Two-Bit jerked his head across the field. "No further than that bench, you hear? I need to be able to see you. Superman and Soda would both kill me if I lost you."

"You ain't goin' lose me, Two-Bit. I'm not a kid." Ever since the incident where they lost both Johnny and Dally, Darry and Soda weren't the only ones who suddenly amped up on their surveillance of his well-being.

Two-Bit chuckled before tousling his hair fondly. "Yeah, sure, kid."

Before Pony could retaliate on Two-Bit's choice of verbiage, he had already turned to the door and walked in, one sole bell above the door chiming as he went. Pony watched Two-Bit slide up to a very well endowed blonde before turning away and heading toward the bench.

He collapsed into it with a loud sigh. Pony quickly pulled out a cancer stick and placed it in his mouth before quickly going to his jacket, but only now noticed the missing familiar weight of his lighter. Right, he had forgotten that Darry had confiscated it after realizing he was sick and didn't want to risk Pony's temptation of smoking in bed.

He sighed.

His cigarette now lay limp between his lips, unlit.

He felt the slight damp of nicotine in his mouth the longer he held it between his teeth. His eyes closed as he relished it.

Pony nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the sound of a lighter go off very close to his face. Pony pulled back quickly and snapped his eyes open to the source.

Charles smiled down at him as he pulled the lighter back and slipped it into his front pocket. "It looked like you needed some help there."

"I, uh, thank you." Pony sat up straighter and was slightly uncomfortable when Charles sat down next to him. Where had he come from?

Charles leaned in close, and though it might have been seen as more of an amicable gesture, Pony found it mostly unnerving. Unconsciously, his legs slid a little further down the now very cramped bench. Charles smiled at him, probably noticing the movement and eased off- but just a bit, a very tiny, minute bit.

"Sorry, the bench is a bit of a tight fit, isn't it?" Charles added conversationally. Pony looked desperately toward the Dingo, hoping beyond hope that Two-Bit would see his predicament.

"Yeah, a bit." Pony answered as politely as he could. He took a hard, long drag on his cancer stick, and felt the sedating effect immediately. Suddenly, he didn't feel so scared anymore and felt himself relaxing a bit as the nicotine worked its way into his system.

_I think he's a good guy _

Oh, that's right. He said so himself that he was a good guy - there's no need to worry. Two-Bit didn't need to worry, he didn't need to worry, either. It was just like Darry said, he had too much of an overactive mind. He was just trying to help him.

"It seems that you got home just fine, then, huh, son?"

_I'm just saying that it wasn't a big deal. Do you really have to tell Darry? It's not like he forced me to get in his car or anything. He just offered._

"Yeah, I did. Thank you for offering."

_He said that he has a son my age and he wouldn't like his son walking around in the rain, too. I guess I just remind him of his son._

"No problem, son."

_If Dad was still alive..._

"Do you live close by, son? I live pretty close to here."

Pony's fingers trailed against the grass, every now and then slipping and catching some ever present dew. Hmmm, the weather sure was balmy today.

"Yes, I do."

"What are you doin' here all alone? Wouldn't your parents be worried about you bein' here?"

"My parents are dead." Pony watched the embers of his cigarette climb closer to him, shortening the cancer stick quickly. He flicked it across the gravel and quickly pulled out another one.

"I"m sorry to hear that about your parent." Charles leaned over and lit this one as well. Pony nodded his thanks. "I'm sure they're still watching over you."

"Thank you."

Charles nodded and inclined his head backward for a second before standing up. He smiled at Ponyboy. "Well, I got to go. I'll see you around, son."

"I'm Ponyboy." Pony introduced, suddenly feeling meek and childish.

"Yes," Charles nodded. If Charles was surprised by the name, he didn't show it. "Well, see you later, Ponyboy."

Charles was already a good twenty feet away and climbing into his impala when a hand slammed down onto his shoulder, making him jump.

"Woah, easy there, Pony." Two-Bit quickly swung around and plopped into the seat that had just been vacated.

"Golly, Two-Bit, you scared me." Pony rubbed his sweaty hands against his jeans and flicked the remaining cigarette bud next to initial one.

Two-Bit squinted his eyes are the retreating figure that he saw sitting next to Ponyboy just moments prior. The instant Two-Bit glanced out the window and saw somebody sitting with Pony on the bench, he became uneasy and quickly ditched the blonde, but before he could get a good look at the man, he had already scampered off.

"Who was that?"

"Who?" Ponyboy asked too quickly.

"That guy that was sittin' here and talkin' to you, kid." Two-Bit gave him a strange look. With steady eyes, the greaser watched the impala roll down a street before turning. "He sure got a nice ride."

_But if that man ever bothers you again, I'm tellin' Darry and Soda. You hear?_

He wasn't bothering him, but Two-Bit wouldn't believe it and neither would Darry and Soda. Pony was tired of being treated like a kid. He was old enough to differentiate between good and bad - he didn't need the gang picking out his playgroup for him.

"Pony, who was that?" Two-Bit asked again.

"Just a..." _I'm sure they're still watching over you. _"...a buddy."

"Your buddy?" Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow. Ponyboy lived a pretty sheltered life, at least far sheltered compared to everybody that lived here - he went to school and then went home. As far as Two-Bit knew, Pony just hanged out with the gang. From the distance that he was at, he didn't get a good look at the man, but one thing was certain. "He looked at lot older than a high school kid, though. Don't tell me you're friends with your teachers, Pony."

Two-Bit laughed.

"No, he's not my teacher." Pony answered tightly as he wished that Two-Bit would just drop the subject.

"If he ain't your teacher then who the heck is he?" Two-Bit paused, suddenly trying to remember something very vital. He felt like he was missing something very important here.

No matter what Two-Bit claimed, Ponyboy knew that Two-Bit was not dumb. And he rather not let Two-Bit display that smartness now by connecting the dots from past descriptions.

"Is he-" Two-Bit started, his eyes shining.

"Two-Bit," Pony interrupted quickly. "I don't feel too good."

The words automatically died in the older greaser's throat as he reached out and touched Pony's forehead.

Two-Bit frowned as he compared Pony's temperature with his own. "You don't feel hot."

Ponyboy shook his head. "I wanna go home."

"Okay. Come on, kid." Two-Bit grabbed his elbow and helped him up. "Ol' Two-Bit here will take you home."

Glad that Two-Bit had forgotten about Charles so quickly, he relaxed, but stiffened when he remembered why Two-Bit was here in the first place.

"Wait, what about that girl, I don't wanna -"

Two-Bit dismissed Pony's words with a wave of his hands. "She's just a broad, Pony."

"Did you get her number?"

"Nah, didn't get it yet." Two-Bit hooked an arm around Pony's neck. "Damn broad was playing hard to get."

"But then your bet with Steve-you'll lose."

"I can always get it another time, kid."

"But what if you don't."

"Don't have such little faith in me, Pony. Ol' Two-Bit here knows how to smooth a woman over good." Two-Bit turned them into a bus stop even though the house was only a twenty minute walking distance.

"But-"

"She's just a broad, Ponyboy." Two-Bit repeated as he watched the bus slowly pull up to them. "Besides, I gotta take yah home."

Suddenly, Pony understood the nuances behind Two-Bit's words. She wasn't important to him, just somebody Two-Bit could mess and flirt with for a time and then leave. But, to Two-Bit, Ponyboy was important to him. Two-Bit even felt the need to dish out some money for bus fare so he could take him home faster.

Two-Bit smiled at him goofily as he pressed a quarter into his palm.

Pony clenched it tightly, ashamed.

"You shouldn't. You should go back to her. I can go home by myself." Pony protested weakly.

"I'll just get it another time, kid. Besides, Mickey will be on by the time we get home."

As the bus pulled up, Two-Bit placed his hands on the small of Pony's back and guided him up the steps of the bus.

He was on the bus way home, with Two-Bit beside him singing the Mickey Mouse theme song quite off-tunely.

He had never felt so ashamed of lying to Two-Bit as he did then.

And just so he wouldn't know that he was talking to Charles.

And, in all honesty, he wasn't sure if it was a white lie…

Or something more tragic.

* * *

A/N: First off, Happy Labor Day, guys (Well, maybe belated now)! I would like thank those who reviewed/ followed/ and favorited!

I'm sorry if this chapter seemed a bit bland and nothing really happened in it. I tried to write something, but the outcome did not really come out to how I imagined it would be. Hopefully, the increased chapter length pleased some of you guys. So, hmm, Pony's relationship with Charles is a bit complicated. He trust him but, at the same time, he doesn't really trust him. In a way, Pony is being a bit defiant in here, because he wants to make his own decision and not have the gang chose for him.

I might rewrite this chapter and edit it later, but I will just keep it like this for now. I got to ask, who thought Pony's belief of oil spills being fallen rainbows was cute? I read it on the internet and I thought that it was adorable. Okay, it's late. I have to go to school tomorrow. Goodnight, guys!

So, what do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Made you want to vomit?

Anyway, please R&R. Reviews inspire me and make me happy. No flames please.

Reviews before this posted chapter: 30  


(My goal is to have this number always go up after every posted chapter. So, help me bring it up. ^^)

9/2/2014


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